Hello all, I just recently picked up a 2006 4runner V8 in Nautical Blue. It has 185k and the previous owner gave me an in-depth service history so it should have a lot of life left. I've had the car for about three days. I did the usual fluid check and fill when I received the car, did a good visual inspection and checked for any loose nuts or bolts.

Today I decided I was ready for my first off-road adventure. I live in Arizona and there are plenty of options for off-roading. Nothing too crazy, small hills, and mostly just flat trail riding. Some of the obstacles required me to lock the center differential and I didn't need it but I used 4LO on any of the hills that seemed like they might be an issue.

After getting back on the street I noticed that the car didn't roll forward on flat ground in drive with my foot off the brake. With a little throttle it gets moving pretty easily but far more than is necessary under normal circumstances. It wasn't making any crazy noises and after 5mph the car felt the same as usual so I drove it home.

I know these cars are known for sticky calipers, however, the previous owner replaced the calipers, brake pads, and rotors 10k miles before I purchased the car. Upon getting home I used an infrared heat gun and scanned as much as I could under the car including the brakes to see if there was something heating up but everything seemed normal.

I have not dove into the problem but wanted to throw a post on here and see if anyone has any recommendations for what to look at first. I have read a few posts that suggest torque converter but I will do everything I can to believe that that is not the case. Any and all help is appreciated

Might be obvious, but did you use the parking brake at all? It could be stuck, or simply need adjustment. The parking brakes are finicky on these 4Runners.

The parking brakes work off of shoes that put pressure on the inside of the top hats of the rear rotors. They do not utilize the calipers.

If the PO worked on the brakes recently, there’s a chance they weren’t adjusted properly.


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So I checked out the parking brake and all seems good. I lifted the rear of the car and was able to spin both wheels freely with little to no resistance. I did a few more test to try and narrow it down.

The truck feels strong and torqey in reverse but once in drive, a little throttle does very little and it feels like the car is being held back. Looking for recommendations for what to look at next because I'm at a loss.

It really does seem like its the torque converter but the car ran great the first few days I had it and there were no issues like this. Its hard for me to believe that a light offroad trip would have done any severe damage to the torque converter.

Okay so I got a code reader and threw it on there. I have a P0751 Shift Solenoid "A" Performance/Stuck Off code. I can't seem to find much information online about what to do in this case.

I have found two threads that mention the code. The first one talks about replacing the solenoid which will the last thing I try if I can't get anything else to fix it. The other thread mentions adding ATF and that the transmission might be low. I am going to try that process next (cant believe there is no dip stick) and see if it needs fluid.

Definitely check the fluid level, but do so properly, it's not good to over fill the transmission either.

That being said, there have been issues reported with the wiring harness connectors where it connects on the side of the transmission having the pins corroding and losing connection, it's not easy to get too but I would disconnect it and check for issues there, clean if necessary, etc. reconnect and hopefully it fixes your issue, the little bit of offroading you did could have caused it to lose connection if there's any corrosion.

I'm thinking its the connector. I just can't figure out how to separate the connector. I am pushing down on the center lever that looks like it should release the connector but I've put a reasonable amount of force and it won't budge.

Ghosts in the glove box. Try and call Ghost Busters.

I have 2005 150,000 miles on 4runner purchased it new ($43000 - I'm in the Bahamas and there are "duties) and never had any issues - just 1 brake job. Never an overheat in 15 years.

Mine moves when put in gear and I always wondered why Toyota has this high idle feature, but I wouldn't fool with that!

Paint looks like factory.

Should have got the two wheel drive. Less troubles.

When I put mine in forward or reverse she moves immediately.

Has someone fooled with your idle? Your brakes?

Might have a new tranny issue?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-azzara-78a1b6136/

You need to download the factory service manual. There are a few places to find it searching these forums as I did.

It has pages diagnosing the solenoid and also wiring diagrams and connector locations to help you pin point what the code is trying to tell you.

Thank you! I'm pretty sure I found my issue. One of the pins on the internal transmission connector has corroded and is stuck in the female side of the plug. I ordered the internal part from the dealer and I'm going to try and repair the vehicle side.

The guy on this post got his female connector to the engine bay somehow. Seems like its pretty bundled up. I'm also curious as to how he got the black cover off of the plug. That would help so much but I'm not sure if it just pops off. If anyone knows how to disassemble that plug, that would be helpful.

I appreciate all the responses and it was quick to figure it out with all the help. I've never opened an automatic transmission before so I'm nervous but it doesn't seem to difficult overall.